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Big Bro Hardwood / Hardwood Floor Sanding and Refinishing Evanston

Hardwood Floor Refinishing Evanston

We sand and refinish hardwood floors in Evanston, from vintage oak in century-old apartment buildings to ranches and colonials. Dan runs every job himself, one crew, no subcontractors, with dustless sanding and a free in-home estimate within 24 hours.

From $3/sq ft
17+ Years, 500+ Projects
Dust-Controlled Sanding, 95%+ Captured
Every Evanston Neighborhood
Homes, Ranches & Colonials

Floor Sanding and Refinishing Contractors in Evanston

Red Oak floors stained with Espresso Color, applied with Pallmann X Power

View of the kitchen with hardwood flooring

Room with big windows and new refinished hardwood flooring

Big Bro Hardwood is a hardwood floor refinishing company working in Evanston, IL, run by its owner. We sand and refinish solid and engineered wood floors in Evanston homes, bringing back oak that’s gone dull, scratched, gray or marked with old water spots. Evanston has a lot of housing built in the early 1900s, including apartment buildings and vintage homes from that wave of construction, and under the old carpet or worn finish, the original oak is usually still there and worth saving.

Wood Floor Refinishing Service Across Evanston

Our hardwood floor sanding services reach every part of Evanston. That includes the Evanston Lakeshore Historic District, the Evanston Ridge Historic District, the Northeast Evanston Historic District and homes throughout Northwest Evanston.

Hardwood Floor Refinishing Services Cost in Evanston, Illinois

Sanding and finishing most oak floors over 1,000 sq ft starts at $3–$4 per sq ft, so 1,000 sq ft of oak starts at about $3,000 to $4,000. Nationally, the cost to refinish hardwood floors runs $3–$8 per sq ft. Our prices stay affordable and competitive without cutting corners: Dan (Donatas), the owner, works on every job and treats each floor the way he would treat his own.

Floor or Service	Starting Price*
Full Sand & Refinish, Oak (1,000+ sq ft)	$3.0–$4.0 / sq ft
Mid-Size Floors, Oak (300–1,000 sq ft)	$5.0–$7.0 / sq ft
Small Areas (≤300 sq ft), $1,500 Project Minimum	$8–$10 / sq ft
Prefinished / Aluminum-Oxide Floors	$7.0–$8.0 / sq ft
Maple / Exotic, Clear Coat	$4.4–$5.0 / sq ft
Maple / Exotic, Color Change	$5.25–$6.0 / sq ft
Sandless Refinishing (Buff & Recoat), on Its Own or With Other Work	$1.50–$2 / sq ft
Color Change on Oak	Add $1–$2 / sq ft
Third Coat of Finish, Whole Floor	Add $1 / sq ft

*Starting ranges for our professional hardwood floor refinishing service, with labor and standard finish included. Every quote is itemized line by line, so it is easy to compare with other local hardwood floor refinishers, and carpet removal is its own line: ask which prep you can safely do yourself. For a rough number, try our floor refinishing cost calculator or book a free hardwood floor estimate.

Add-ons:

$1.75–$2.00 / sq ft

Wax finish removal (older floors)

$80–$100 / tread

Stairs (treads only)

Per inspection

Full staircase / handrails & balusters

Refinish, Recoat, Repair Boards or Replace?

Most floors can be saved with hardwood floor repair and refinishing. If you’re deciding whether to refinish or replace hardwood floors, keeping your floor is usually the more affordable choice: installation labor alone runs $3.00–$9.50/sq ft, before the new wood and $1–$3/sq ft to remove the old floor.

What You See on Your Floor	What It Usually Needs	How Often
Dull finish or light scratches, no bare or gray wood	Buff & recoat (sandless), also called screen and recoat	Every 3 to 7 years
Deep scratches, gray or worn spots, or you want a new color	Full sanding down to bare wood and new finish coats	Every 7 to 10 years
A few cracked or loose boards, or marks that soaked in deep	Board replacement as part of the refinishing job	As needed
Nail heads or tongues showing, boards cupped through or rotted	A new hardwood flooring installation; we tell you honestly when a floor can’t take another sand	Not applicable

Collage with refinished hardwood floors with special walnut stain

Floor Sanding and Refinishing in Evanston’s Older Homes

Evanston’s apartment buildings, historic district homes and newer additions each change what a refinishing job needs. We check the age, finish and wear layer of your floor before quoting, not after.

Historic District Apartments. Evanston has five National Register historic districts and four local historic districts, and many of these buildings date to the early 1900s, often with original oak under an old wax or shellac finish. In homes built before 1978, our prep follows EPA RRP lead-safe practices with containment and HEPA cleanup.
One-Unit Attached Homes. Evanston’s housing count includes 1,984 one-unit attached homes, many built as condos or townhomes with engineered flooring glued over concrete. We measure the wear layer, the thin top layer of real wood, before quoting, since engineered boards can only be sanded down if that layer is thick enough.
Early 1900s Apartment Floors. Apartment construction in Evanston took off between 1912 and 1916, reaching 411 units in 1916 alone, and the original oak in these buildings has often been sanded down more than once already. We check how much solid wood is left before another full sand, since a floor sanded too thin can’t take another pass.
1970s-Era Additions. Evanston’s housing count lists 2,368 units built between 1970 and 1979, and in older homes that often brought a newer room or addition built with different wood next to decades-old oak. Matching the two isn’t always a perfect color match, and we tell you honestly up front when it isn’t.

Our Professional Hardwood Floor Refinishing Process and Timeline in Evanston

You can usually stay home during the work. Up to about 300 sq ft takes 1 to 2 days, and a one-day refinish may be possible. About 1,000 sq ft takes 3 to 4 days, since each coat must dry before the next.

Before Day 1: Estimate and Inspection

We measure the floor, check wear, damage, loose boards and squeaks, and go over color, sheen and what’s included. Buying a home? We can do a free estimate before you close, so the floors are done before the furniture moves in.
Day 1: Protection and Rough Sanding

We cover walls, cabinets and transitions and run an Atomic Dust Containment System with HEPA-filtered Festool vacuums, which captures 95% or more of the dust at the source, though edges and corners always leave some fine residue. Professional floor sanding starts in a controlled grit sequence across the field. Sanding is loud, so plan work-from-home days around it.
Day 2: Fine Sanding and Repairs

We detail edges and corners so the whole room looks even, fix damaged boards and small gaps, and clean the surface so color takes evenly.
Day 3: Stain

After hardwood floor sanding, we test stains right on your floor and apply the color you pick. On red oak, lighter browns bring out the red and darker colors show scratches more easily, and a perfect match with older or discontinued wood isn’t always possible. Without a color change, this day goes to finish coats.
Day 4: Finish Coats

We apply 2 coats of finish as standard, or 3 if you choose the extra coat. Our low-VOC water-based finishes give off far fewer fumes than oil-based polyurethane, which often means planning how long to stay out of the house after refinishing. Bona (GREENGUARD Gold) and Loba (EMICODE EC1) products are safe for families and pets once cured.
After the Last Coat: Walkthrough and Moving Back In

We walk the floor with you, do touch-ups and leave care instructions: knowing how to maintain hardwood floors keeps the new finish looking good longer. Light foot traffic is usually fine after about 24 hours, and pets can come back after 24 to 48 hours. Furniture goes back after 3 to 5 days and rugs after 5 to 7 days, because how long polyurethane takes to dry sets the pace for each stage. Put felt pads under furniture legs and lift pieces into place instead of dragging them.

Freshly refinished bright hardwood floors

Dark restored hardwood flooring view from top

Refinished old hardwood floor by Big Bro Hardwood

Red Oak floors stained with Golden Oak stain from Duraseal selection, applied with Loba 2k Duo

Brazilian Cherry Wood stained with Duraseal Natural color.

Why Evanston Homeowners Choose Big Bro Hardwood as Their Floor Refinishers

Many Evanston homes still have original oak underfoot, so we look at your home’s age and condition before quoting a price.

Our professional wood floor refinishing crew is led by Dan, the owner, with Valdas (20+ years in hardwood flooring) and Slavek (37 years of stair and finish carpentry). We follow NWFA technical guidelines, our finish carries a 5-year warranty against peeling, and more than 80% of new clients come through referrals.

Evanston Work Hours

Evanston allows construction work Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no work on Sunday and no loud power tools after 6 p.m. We plan our sanding days around those hours.

Basement and Lower-Level Floors

Storm backups in older parts of Evanston push sewage or water into basements through window wells, cracks or failed sump pumps. Before we sand a lower-level floor, we check for past water damage so the finish holds.

Color Samples on Your Floor

Lakefront homes near the Evanston Lakeshore Historic District get strong, changing daylight off the lake, so we test color samples right on your sanded floor and check them in that light before you decide.

Sanding & Finish Matched to Your Goal

Northwest Evanston’s ranches and colonials, many added after the 1916 annexation, see daily family traffic, so we match sheen and finish to how hard the room gets used.

Condo and Multi-Unit Sign-Off

Many of Evanston’s attached and multi-unit buildings have condo associations that want proof of coverage before work starts. We handle the certificate of insurance and written dust-control plan your building asks for.

Final Walkthrough and Care Guidance

Homes in the Evanston Ridge Historic District often carry original oak worth protecting for decades more, so after the last coat we walk the floor with you and go over felt pads, rugs and cleaning products for the first weeks.

Recent Hardwood Floor Refinishing Projects in Evanston, IL

Natural hardwood floor in the living room, Evanston, IL

Natural matte hardwood floor in the open living area, Evanston, IL

Natural hardwood floor by the windows, Evanston, IL

Natural hardwood floor across the room, Evanston, IL

Natural hardwood floor by the kitchen island, Evanston, IL

Natural Hardwood Refinishing in Evanston, IL

Sanding and natural refinishing of a hardwood floor in Evanston, IL, finished with Pallmann Magic Oil hardwax for a soft matte natural tone across the living areas and kitchen.

Location: Evanston, IL
Wood: Hardwood
Color: Natural
Finish: Pallmann Magic Oil (hardwax)

Ready to give your hardwood floors a new life? Schedule an appointment today!

contact big bro hardwood

katherine rubis

00:29 04 May 25

We had hardwood floors added to our family room and then refinished the whole main level. The quality of work was amazing. Donatas and his team were very easy to work with and always showed up on time. Would highly recommend!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will Evanston's Landmark Status Limit Refinishing Work on My Floors?

**Landmark status covers the exterior, not your floors.** Evanston’s local landmark rules govern things like windows and facades, not interior hardwood. We can sand and refinish floors in a landmarked home without extra city approval, though we still check any building or association rules first.

Does Evanston's 1901 Apartment Construction Ordinance Affect My Refinishing Project?

That ordinance set building standards for new apartment construction back in 1901, not permits for work on existing floors today. Sanding and refinishing an existing floor doesn’t trigger it. We still confirm any current building or association approval before starting.

How Does Lake Michigan Humidity Affect Hardwood Floors in Evanston Homes?

Lake-driven humidity swings move wood more in homes close to the shoreline than further inland. **We track seasonal moisture during sanding and curing** so the finish bonds properly,.

Request a Free Hardwood Floor Estimate

Tell us about your floors and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.